Bluebell Cottage Gardens, Lodge Lane, Dutton

by Val Dawson

What’s the best thing to do on a damp and dull August Bank Holiday Monday?

Visit one of the many NGS Open Gardens in Cheshire and Wirral which soon lighten your spirit and gladden your eye.

Full directions are in the NGS local supplement or on-line but, be warned, this delightful garden is tucked away down narrow country lanes, off a small track for field parking. Leave your smart shoes at home.

I first met owner Sue Beesley in 2006. She was fresh from winning the BBC’s Gardener of the Year, was a very keen amateur gardener and also running an IT business with her husband.

Preparing for the final of the competition she was shopping for interesting plants locally and came upon Bluebell Cottage Gardens which, though successful in the past, had become rather neglected.

Then it was a nursery and a separate garden backing on to the Trent and Mersey canal. Having vaguely thought it might be lovely to live in such ideal surroundings, she returned some weeks later to buy more plants and – guess what – there was a For Sale board up. Fate had stepped in.

Six months later, Sue having won the competition, they decided to move into unknown territory. They would take on a professional nursery - with no experience whatsoever. Sensibly, husband Dave still runs his own business.

The BBC competition created a curiosity factor and helped to promote the new owners in the early days. How do you set up a new nursery? They both had a huge learning curve to negotiate.

After much research and hard digging it is now a delightful mixture of bluebell woods, wildlife meadow, neatly displayed hardy perennials sales tables and more formal flower and plant borders in the garden close to the house.

Of course, there is a pretty blue tea shop. On this day, with summer fading, the colours are softer and more subtle. Sue loves elegant shapes, movement and transparency with her planting. There are flowing grasses (my favourite) and a frothy sunflower, with an unpronounceable name, unlike any I have seen and stunning.

This one and a half acre space has been totally transformed since I first saw it. The rather uninteresting flat area of lawn and straight lines are now meandering mown paths around curvy beds full of surprises.

Sue is now a full-time professional. It’s been a busy year. There were awards at shows, Malvern, Tatton and Southport and, family events, like their daughter’s wedding and a big birthday – all celebrated in this beautiful garden.

I am so pleased I caught her just as they were about to leave for Iceland (the country) on holiday. This is a cool lady who uses Twitter with great enthusiasm (@suebeesley) and runs, swims and cycles, sometimes and slowly…how does she find the time?

Phone for opening times 01928 713718